DIETARY-EFFECTS OF FABA-BEAN (VICIA-FABA L) TANNINS ON THE MORPHOLOGYAND FUNCTION OF THE SMALL-INTESTINAL MUCOSA OF WEANED PIGS

The objective of the present study was to evaluate effects of condense d tannins in faba beans (Vicia faba L.) on morphological and functiona l variables of the small-intestinal mucosa of piglets. In an experimen t with young piglets (8-17 kg body weight), fed on either a control di et or a diet containing 200 g/kg of low- or high-tannin faba bean hull s (with < 0.10 and 3.3% catechin equivalents of condensed tannins resp ectively), morphological and functional characteristics of the jejunal mucosa were determined. Results of the study showed that the morpholo gical variables of the mucosa of the three groups of piglets were simi lar, Also, no changes due to dietary tannins were observed in sucrase (EC 3.2.1.48)-isomaltase (EC 3.2.1.10) activity in homogenates of muco sa plus submucosa. However, aminopeptidase (EC 3.4.11.2) activity in t hese homogenates in the proximal part of the small intestine of the an imals of the group fed on the high-tannin diet was significantly lower than that in the animals fed on the control diet or the diet with low -tannin hulls (P < 0.05).